Market Trends

📚 At the Hospitality Operator Forum, Julien Huel of Groupe Barrière analyzed 15 years of strategic transformation. Key moments include diversifying and expanding the customer base while maintaining luxury foundations. He detailed strategies for sustaining value creation for owners in a competitive market.

📈 Gilda Pérez-Alvarado, Chief Strategy Officer at Accor and CEO of Orient Express, presented at the Hospitality Operator Forum on the evolving hospitality industry. She discussed new drivers of value amidst sector restructuring, highlighting changes in macroeconomic dynamics and asset management models. The focus included the revival of the Orient Express brand, and how hospitality now encompasses trains, yachts, and immersive experiences, reshaping investor expectations and the travel landscape.

🏨 Sylvie Bergeret, COO of MKG, at the Hospitality Operator Forum, questions hotel valuation drivers. With fragmentation in market cycles, territories, and segments, she urges investors and operators to look beyond the obvious. She emphasizes analyzing trajectories, execution risks, and upside potential for strategic value creation in hospitality.

🏨 Béatrice Guedj at the Hospitality Operator Forum highlighted that European hospitality has become a top asset for investors due to its solid fundamentals and strategic repositioning. From 2013 to 2020, it surpassed the Euro Stoxx 50, and since 2022, it's shown resilience, attracting US investors amid market volatility. Despite a drop in volume between 2021-2025, the sector remains stable, with hotel investments rising from 5-7% pre-pandemic to nearly 10% today.

📈 Nov 24, 2025, U.S. hotel performance saw its eighth consecutive month of declining occupancy, down 2.4% in October. RevPAR decreased by 0.9%, marking its seventh month of decline, while ADR slightly rose by 1.5% to $167.71. Despite the downturn, the top 25 markets outperformed others, with New York City leading at 89.4% occupancy. Washington, D.C.'s RevPAR plunged due to a government shutdown. Tampa and St. Louis had the lowest occupancy rates.

💰 Last week, a post on the Sonder x Marriott split went viral, reaching 230,000 views. The hospitality industry faces a trust crisis, with guests often unsure who is accountable—brands, operators, or third parties. A Titanium Elite member experienced being transferred seven times over a canceled reservation. Loyalty programs appear insufficient, and control of guest experiences is outsourced. Hospitality is compared to companies like Apple and Amazon, which fully own customer experiences. A reset around responsibility is urgently needed.

📅 14:00 – 15:00 BST, online, free to attend. Hosted by BHN editor Eloise Hanson, this webinar offers insights on valuing independent hotels, focusing on operational performance, location, and brand positioning. Learn about investment trends, financing, exit strategies, and practical tips for maximizing market value. Targeted at hotel owners, investors, developers, C-suite executives, and service providers, this event invites over 7,000 professionals to participate in interactive sessions with live Q&A opportunities.